Changes at Parramatta Marist

08 Apr 2020

A collage of some of the physical changes taking place on site at Parramatta Marist

During this time of virtual schooling and social distancing, nothing stands still at Parramatta Marist.

For staff and students, it has been a case of adjusting to new routines, and juggling our family and school lives in the best way we know how. When we’re all united again at our beloved Westmead site, you will notice some changes.

A new space for industrial STEM projects is under construction, linking the existing Hive Protospace with the Learning Centre. The Hive Industrial will enable students to collaborate with our new industry partners, Precision Metal Group (PMG), who are National Defence contractors, and experts at armoured welding. We thank Jason Elias (a proud PMH Old Boy and PMG CEO) for reaching out to Parramatta Marist. It will be amazing to see our boys working in the new space, with fresh opportunities and expert guidance.

Since Term Four last year, Mr Hendry has been project managing a six metre “Fortior Ito” sign, made from a 200kg galavanised steel frame and 5mm thick corten (rusted) steel panels. We have been testing various lighting options for the sign with battery powered LED strips, backlighting it from the inside of a 80mm cavity.

When we have devised an interactive lighting system, we’ll have it hard-wired and installed. You can see our early efforts in the photo collage above. The sign will serve as a constant reminder that our prevailing success is driven by perseverance.

A screenshot of the Year 10 Classwork Page in Canvas

Beyond these physical changes, you will also notice that the virtual home of Parramatta Marist has had a major facelift and restructure. Ms Karyn West and a team of support teachers have worked long hours to form a virtual environment which is centralised around the Homeroom space. Checking in with your teachers and mates is a great way to start the day, with your learning for each class connected from your Homeroom landing page. It has been a wonderful start to virtual learning at Parramatta Marist, with nearly 100% attendance. Congratulations to all staff and students who have made this change possible and successful.

Be it virtual or physical, changes will happen. Some are adjustments to our changing world, and some are self-improvements being made to enrich our community. In any case, we will go forth with strength.

Fortior Ito, boys!

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